Cahaba, Alabama

History

Cahaba was selected to be Alabama’s state capitol on November 21st, 1818. By 1820, the town was thriving with large buildings inside of it. However, in 1825, Cahaba was struck by a major flood five years later that destroyed the state house. The catastrophe is attributed to being part of the low elevation of the area, as well as the fact that the two rivers surrounding Cahaba had a reputation of overflowing. Due to the disaster-proneness of the area, Alabama’s capital was changed to Tuscaloosa in January 1826.

After years of being semi-successful, the town began to fall apart. By 1930, only a handful of the original buildings were left. The town, no longer inhabited, is now an important archaeological site, and visitors may still go to it. Cahaba has been the setting of several ghost stories during the 19th and 20th centuries, among the true stories being that of a ghostly orb appearing in the now-demolished garden maze at the former home of C. C. Pegues.

In Popular Culture

The haunting of Cahaba, Alabama was featured in 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey in the story “Specter in the Maze of Cahaba”.